Picked up a CF-27

Hi all,

Just picked up a very decent condition Snap-On branded CF-27 at a flea market I was going to sell it on but i'm growing attached to it already so i think i'll do some upgrading and see if i get use out of it in the garage first. I've been through some threads to work out what i can do but if anyone can pick up on anything i'm getting wrong i'd much appreciate it.

It's a Mk2 i think - CF-27EJ6GCAE - PII 300MHz. I'm hoping to put XP on it, is it worth pursuing or do i need a more recent version? i've looked for the divers but seems to stop before XP, can i make it work with drivers for other TBs or this a dead end? Is there a handy zip file somewhere with all the drivers i need? (Alex you helped me out with some for a CF-18 some time back would you have these as well?)

It's got 64mb RAM onboard, i've found on threads that i can add another 128mb PC100 only so i'll be ebaying for that.

For HDD i read i can have 120gb if i partition with no more than 60gb for C: So i'll ebay for any 2.5" 120gb IDE drive?

The battery seems to be dead, the battery monitor says "No battery found", i tried downloading the battery refresh utility and it says it's started but nothing happens. I tried jiggling the battery a bit, when i put it back in the battery light goes orange for about 20 seconds then starts flashing red again, when orange the battery monitor still shows "no battery found" so i guess this is a checking it out stage rather than any sign of life. Do you know if this is likely to be just a dead battery or is it more likely i have a problem with the laptop?

It has a CD ROM drive in the media bay and no floppy drive came with it, A: drive is still showing in My Computer and the CD drive is L: is that normal? I looked in BIOS to see the boot order for when i try to install XP and it has "A:/C:" currently which i'm thinking i should change to "CDD,DVD/A:/C:" which is the only other option there.

It seems quite simple, get some ram, get a bigger HDD, install from XP CD, just need the drivers and a battery. I can install all my repair manuals and keep this for OBD work

 

Read this thread and you may find an answer about XP.



http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/480826-xp-fundamentals-toughbooks.html

 

I had a CF-27 and put Windows 2000 on it as it didn't like XP for some reason. Then again I didn't have a CD-DRIVE and was running the installation off the HDD. I really wish I could get a CD or DVD Drive for it, anyone know where I could buy one?

 

I already have a XP pro CD so i'll start by trying a minimal install of that before i shell out for another OS, if i'm not connecting to the internet i'll not bother doing the SP upgrades and see how i get on. As long as it recognises my external drives which aren't supported for Win98 i'll be happy. It's just an issue of if i can get drivers for the sound/graphics and mouse pad.

 

Snap-on Diagnostic, Lincolnshire, Illinois

Snap-on Incorporated is a global leader in professional tools, diagnostics and equipment. While designing its ShopStream software, Snap-on realized that they needed to couple the software with a rugged and reliable laptop. Snap-on chose Toughbook mobile computers for their ability to withstand drops, jolts, vibrations and spills and because of the anti-glare, daylight viewable touchscreen displays and integrated wireless capabilities.

As part of the ShopStream solution, Toughbook computers enabled shop technicians to communicate wirelessly with business management and repair information systems in the front office. This allowed technicians to achieve dramatic increases in productivity, so shop owners could book more repairs each day. In addition, part suppliers delivered orders faster and more accurately. Ultimately, these benefits resulted in highly satisfied ShopStream customers for Snap-on.

It's one of the obsolete Snap-on Diagnostics units.

Supported Models on the Toughbook FTP Support Site

The Model CF-27E shows to be compatible with Microsoft Operating Systems Win 95, Win 98, Win NT, and Win 2000: "No" to Win XP and Vista

Doesn't mean you can't "force the issue":

Here's What You Need to Use Windows XP Professional

• PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system); Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)

• 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space

• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor

• CD-ROM or DVD drive

• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

This, too, should help:

Installing XP on a CF27 MK1

Yes; but you can change it:

Changing the drive letter of a CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, or other disc drive.

When you set the Removable Media Drive (CD, DVD) as the first boot device and there is no bootable media present it will go to the next drive set (A: ), and finding no bootable media there either, guess where it boots from?

That's what the particular Model was intended for.

 

Thanks for the link, i'm feeling persuaded to upgrade to Win2000 instead, or is that advice for MK1 only and MK2 is more acceptable with XP?

Win2000 is the oldest my most used OBD software will support (Vag-Com) but this 27 is seeming nice and fast with 98 (shut down is a heart melting 3 seconds) i don't want to ruin it too much, if i can use my external HDDs and flash drives with w2000 why would i want to bother with XP?

 

Win2K Pro is what powers my Toshiba Tecra 1.0GHz laptop.

Don't know : I started with the CF-29.

Anyone who can answer his question???

VAG-COM
Windows-based Diagnostic Software
for VW / Audi / Seat / Skoda

Seat? Skoda??

Well that explains the "E" in the Model Number.

 

It's the lower end of the Volkswagen AG range. Still haven't worked out where to plug the computer in on this bad boy

 

Takes the same one as the CF-28 and CF-29 Toughbooks:

Panasonic Toughbook CF-28 CF-29 CF-27 CD DVD-ROM drive

While your system won't have the "horsepower" to play DVDs, the drive itself will work with CDs, and will come in handy when the "Toughbook Virus" bites and you go with with a CF-28 or CF-29 in the future.

 

What's the deal with those hubcaps? They look like burlap sacks! Is that mud?

 

My guess is snow socks, but i really don't know

 

To me, the whole tyres look like bits of logs.

 

As someone who actually used a lot of CF-27s up until a couple of years ago, believe me when I tell you to do yourself a favor and stick with WIN2K on your CF-27. Several people have installed XP, but for the life of me I can't imagine why, especially when you cant get a decent CF-28 for very short money if you did a little.
CAP

 

Ok.. I'll bite..What's a snow sock?

 

Those are wooden tires. Cross section of a tree trunk. Seen it before, not sure if it's a joke or Eastern Bloc ingenuity.

 

I was thinking they were maybe a variant on these AutoSock but looking at them again i think i agree that they're cut logs. I wonder what speed they catch on fire?

 

I'll combine the threads and ask, What color burn out will they do?

 

Aww, geeez, Edith...

That is a photoshopped image that was circulating around the web a couple years ago; someone glommed it from That Image Site...

mnem
Pizza is like real life; it's not for pvssies.